drifterrafirma

That's what I heard one Park Ranger say to another as I walked to Slide Rock with my friend Sebastian earlier today. It sounds a little unusual if you've never been to Slide Rock before, but if you have, you know exactly what they mean. Worn smooth by untold ages of flowing water and slick with algae, the area could just as well be called Slip Rock. You could be walking, running, standing still, kneeling, squatting, crab-walking, doing leaping handsprings... I don't care what you're doing, at some point, you're going to slip and fall and if a flailing arm/leg/other apparatus fails to halt your fall, your head inevitably will. Hence the busted heads. If you're not bleeding profusely from the face, however, Slide Rock can be a very enjoyable place! And if you're not a ... read more

Today I drove another group of lucky buggers to Page for a rafting trip. But then I continued on to Lake Powell and made a lucky bugger of myself! It is so nice there! White sandy beaches, warm blue water and sunshine! Just what I needed to make a few hours seem like a few minutes. I went to Lone Rock Beach, within the Lake Powell National Recreation Area. Lone Rock is named after the... ahem... lone rock pictured. Kim Jon Il was sitting on top singing "I'm so rone-RY!" I was amazed by the water here. After seeing nothing but the muddy, freezing cold Colorado for the last six months I seriously felt like I was in Bora Cay when I got to the beach. Well, I don't have a whole lot to say, so ... read more

Me: I've never been on a trail with such a good view. Ted: David. We're on the Grandview Trail. Me: I'm... I'm just gonna stop talking now. Ted: That's good. Such was the conversational fare as I descended three miles to Horseshoe Mesa via the Grandview Trail on Sunday evening. Around 5:30 P.M. that day, I had been walking home, thoroughly exhausted, when my friend Ted pulled up alongside me in his truck, rolled down the window, and asked "Do you want to go hiking?" I thought for a moment about the kicks I'd taken to my legs and knees the day before in kickboxing. I thought about the hour I'd spent in the gym that morning working my legs. I thought about the hour I'd spent running three miles on the Bright Angel Trail. I ... read more